The second act was deliberately chosen by the Empress Dowager.
On stage, the groom rode a tall, spirited horse, while the bride shyly hid inside the wedding sedan.
The lyrics drifted languidly: “The wedding sedan crosses the Magpie Bridge~”
Though the song celebrated the sweetness of a new marriage, to those listening, it seemed laden with implication. The Emperor’s harem sat empty; he had never even taken a liking to any woman.
Little Chair, diligently serving her master, held up the playbill, pointing to each line of lyrics with her fingertip.
Xiao Zhi glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Normally, getting her to do anything was met with ten thousand refusals. Now she was being diligent?
“On my first birthday, I grasped a writing brush. By age one, I had begun my lessons. I have eyes, and I can read.” No need for such obsequiousness from you.
Her knees still aching, Yun Yi’s face remained impassive, but inside she was cursing: Humblebrag much.
Xiao Zhi guessed she was cursing up a storm in her head. He pretended to sip his tea, using the cup to shield his lips, and asked, “What are you cursing about?”
Yun Yi couldn’t be bothered with him. She stood like a wooden post.
The Emperor moved his elbow slightly, and a plate of dried fruit scattered onto the ground.
Yun Yi: I’m not blind. You did that on purpose!
Wasting food was shameful! Shameful! And she hadn’t even gotten a single bite!
Seething, she crouched down to clean up beneath the desk, her body shrinking into the space under the table. Right in front of her were Xiao Zhi’s long legs.
The crash of gongs and drums from the stage came down like an avalanche. Taking advantage of the noise, she let her anger spill out: “… Sibal #$%!”
Xiao Zhi didn’t catch what she said. Pretending to pick something up, he leaned in close.
The background sound faded away. The actors on stage began a lilting, meandering melody, as if infused with some spell. Time seemed to stand still. In this small, confined space, all that remained was a delicate, oval face.
Dazzlingly pale.
“I didn’t tell you to kneel,” he said in a low voice.
A breath later, the world resumed spinning. Wang Delan’s voice reached his ears—someone, it seemed, had just knelt down in unison.
“Greetings to Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager!” Wang Delan’s voice suddenly rang out.
Xiao Zhi moved his foot, stepping on the scattered dried fruit. He looked down. The footprint on his dragon boot was still glaringly obvious.
Only she was missing from his side.
Gone.
Not even a proper farewell.
After returning to her residence, Yue Ying felt half the weight lift from her heart. The Emperor’s attitude toward her meant she wouldn’t have to enter the palace after all, didn’t it?
She asked her maid, “Did you see where Little Chair, the Emperor’s eunuch, went?”
“Your servant was standing far away and didn’t see.”
“Is that so?”
But Yue Ying had seen. Little Chair had crouched down to pick something up. Later, when the opera ended and the actors took their final bows to take their leave, Little Chair never stood up again. And the Emperor’s face had gone deathly pale.
It was like a strange tale from a storybook.
Yue Ying: “Grind the ink. I want to write this down.”
.
The dim surroundings suddenly blazed with light.
Noise roared in her ears. Appliances hummed back to life. Various sounds resumed one by one.
Rubbing her eyes, Yun Yi realized half her body was sprawled across the indoor elevator. She looked like a corpse from a horror film.
She was still wearing the blue eunuch’s robe. Images of the opera performance flashed through her mind.
Huh? Hadn’t she been watching an opera?
Still lingering in her ears was a man’s awkward low voice: “I didn’t tell you to kneel…”
Had she returned from the Yan Dynasty?
And before she’d gone to the Yan Dynasty? What had she been doing at home?
Yun Yi smacked her forehead and burst out: “Ahhh! My delivery!”
The door of the Yun residence stood wide open. The daughter of archaeology expert Yun Guoqiang was holding a fishing rod, using its trembling tip to poke at a delivery bag outside the door.
An elderly couple out on a walk looked at Yun Yi with complicated expressions.
The old couple had been university professors before retirement. Their son, unfortunately, was a disappointment.
The hapless young man had set his sights on Yun Guoqiang’s daughter. On the very first day of pursuing her, the girl had gently turned him down.
Accustomed to smooth sailing, he had instantly gone full Mel Gibson: “Aren’t I handsome?! Why don’t you like me!”
The girl’s emotions remained steady. “I’m sapiosexual.”
After failing the college entrance exam, he burned the midnight oil, vowing to study his way to something impressive!
The next day, the school delivered the grim news: the Sino-foreign cooperation program was being shut down.
Overnight, his entire college department had vanished.
The elderly couple looked back at Yun Yi. Was that takeout a thousand-year-old zongzi or something? Why was she so afraid of it? The couple felt somewhat relieved. This girl seemed a bit slow in the head—no wonder she liked sapiosexuals.
Yun Yi successfully fished up the takeout bag. Noticing the neighbors staring, she forced a smile and said, “A fisherman never goes home empty-handed.”
The elderly couple: “…” This girl—why did she look like she’d just been dumped?
Thinking she had spent a long time in the Yan Dynasty, Yun Yi assumed her takeout would have grown mold by now, probably crawling with cockroaches.
To her surprise, the braised chicken leg rice was still warm.
She checked the time on the delivery slip repeatedly, then suddenly remembered something and went inside to find her phone.
Yun Yi grabbed her phone and nearly burst into tears.
Baby! My little comfort buddy!
The phone still showed the date: October 22, 2026—only two hours later than the delivery slip.
This further proved her theory: time flowed differently between the two worlds.
Before the transmigration, there had been a power outage in the neighborhood. Now that the power was back, her phone was flooded with unread messages.
Yun Guoqiang had sent a series of photos: He was standing in front of a row of simple shipping containers, throwing up peace signs.
Yun Yi zoomed in on the photos. Beside the containers stood villagers carrying hoes, guarding their homes.
Yun Guoqiang’s archaeological team was conducting preliminary surveying and positioning. After completing the survey, they would begin excavation.
Yun Guoqiang: Daughter, order a courier to send me pillows and blankets.
It looked like he would be staying long-term in Xiao Family Village.
She accepted the task her father had assigned. A news notification popped up on her phone screen:
【The World’s Most Anticipated Comet Has Grazed Past Earth】
She suddenly recalled that during her second soul-transmigration into the Yan Dynasty, when her three souls and five spirits had condensed into a physical form within the Imperial Seal, a strange star had streaked across the Ziwei constellation that night.
The celestial master had said that according to ancient texts, such a star would not reappear for another thousand years.
Could this be that very moment?
That celestial master had been expelled from the palace by Xiao Zhi. What was the name of the text he had cited?
Her head felt swollen. Information overload. Suddenly, a video call from her best friend popped up on her phone.
She answered. Her best friend’s eyes went wide: “No way—what are you wearing?!”
Yun Yi was draped in the eunuch’s robes, her hair done up in a eunuch’s topknot.
She opened her mouth, not knowing how to explain.
A little golden head popped up on the screen—her best friend’s golden shaded cat.
“Hey there, Ms. Radish~” Yun Yi tried to change the subject.
The cat’s water-green pupils fixed on her for two seconds, then slowly turned fierce: “Mya! Meow ya mya—!”
Best friend and Yun Yi, in perfect sync: “…”
The last time Ms. Radish had had a stress response was when a thief snuck into the house.
Her best friend had never been so serious. “Something’s happened to you.”
Yun Yi was afraid that if she told the truth, her best friend would think she was crazy.
On the screen, the similarly aged young woman said quietly, “You don’t want to talk because you’re afraid I’ll think you’re crazy. I’ll count to three—” If you don’t want to tell me… I’ll respect your choice.
“I…” Balabala. Yun Yi started from Chapter 1.
Her best friend thought: So naive. This trick works every time.
Yun Yi went all the way through Chapter 22.
The video froze.
One, two, three seconds later.
Her best friend: “You’re insane.”
Ms. Radish: “Wow meow.”
Yun Yi: “…”
.
The trunk lid slowly rose, revealing the freshly repaired car body, gleaming brightly.
A scene suddenly flashed before her eyes: a certain someone flipping the trunk lid open with a single punch. Yun Yi blinked.
She sat in the driver’s seat and looked at herself in the rearview mirror. Behind her head was a black hair bow embroidered with delicate dragon patterns.
She didn’t have to see that tyrant who casually ordered the execution of nine whole families anymore. She had single-handedly saved Comrade Yun Guoqiang’s life. She should be happy.
So why was there a bitter lump in her throat?
The Porsche pulled out of the villa.
A wail erupted from inside the car—
“AHHHHH! My jade! My gold!”
The feeling of narrowly missing out on a five-million-dollar lottery prize instantly chased away the bitterness in her throat.
Only regret remained in Yun Yi’s heart!
She hadn’t been there for just a few days, yet Xiao Family Village had undergone earth-shattering changes.
The car crept along at ten kilometers per hour, eventually getting stuck at the entrance to the village.
Just as Yun Yi parked, “Resident Security Guard Dahuang” came bounding toward her.
“Yay~ Dahuang!” That’s right—she’d always been popular with small animals.
Yun Yi crouched down next to her suitcase and opened her arms. Come to sister for a hug.
“Woof woof woof—”
Dahuang brushed past Yun Yi and charged straight at a young man.
Yun Yi had no choice but to loosen her shoelaces and tie them again. She slowly rose in the glaring sunlight, pretending nothing had happened.
An invisible gaze caught up to her. “Hello, excuse me, where is the Xiao Family Village ancestral rite being held?”
The speaker was a lean, well-built young man. Studying folklore, he had heard that Xiao Family Village still preserved ancient ritual ceremonies and had traveled all the way from a neighboring province to collect material.
Yun Yi swallowed her embarrassment. “You should ask the village chief whether outsiders are allowed to attend. Dahuang, take him to the village chief’s office.”
The young man thanked her. Dahuang, a hopeless simp for good-looking people, wagged his tail and led the way.
Yun Yi watched the pair—man and dog—disappear into the distance and snorted. A traitor leading imperial troops into the village. Don’t expect to get a single sausage from me ever again!
The Xiao Family Village held a small ancestral rite once a year and a major one once every ten years.
There had been no rain for days—perfect weather for the ceremony.
The drone shot up sharply, the view through its lens suddenly expanding. The winter landscape had faded, leaving the world muted and pale.
Then a single cherry-red dot pierced the gray, kicking up a long trail of dust.
Yun Yi dragged her red suitcase straight toward the archaeological team’s temporary base.
The shipping container was like a mobile home, equipped with all the basic living necessities.
Learning that Yun Guoqiang had gone to the village to attend the ancestral rite, Yun Yi shoved her suitcase into his room, planning to see him and leave.
Little Liu was filling the RV’s water tank, getting ready to shower.
Yun Yi called out to him. Little Liu looked up reluctantly.
One corner of his eye was bruised—the same kind of pathetic look a thief in a manga gets after being beaten up.
“Brother Liu, what happened to your face?”
“I ran into a freak!” Little Liu whimpered as he recounted his misery. “I went to watch the ancestral rite and got… Thank goodness it was just a robbery. The guy stole my Hanfu!”
Yun Yi: “Call the police!”
“Forget it. It was from Pinduoduo. 39.9.”
“…”
“He even took off his own clothes and gave them to me. I threw them in the trash! Who wants clothes he’s worn? I can’t stand the smell! Sick freak!”
.
The villagers had all turned out. The country paths were bustling with activity. Men carrying fireworks and ceremonial cannons passed by, and Yun Yi stepped aside to let them through.
Her arms suddenly sank—
Someone had shoved a large object wrapped in red cloth into her hands.
It was heavy.
Light filtered through the gaps in the cloth, and a pig’s face gazed up at her quietly.
Yun Yi instantly broke down. A scream rose in her throat—but then she saw who it was.
Auntie Xiao Dao smiled and said, “Xiao Yun, this freshly slaughtered pig’s head is to cover my brother’s debt. The rest of the pig stays with the village. After the rite, it’ll be used for the communal meal.”
Yun Yi couldn’t get the air in or out of her throat. “…Sis, I don’t want it. Give the pig’s head to the village!”
“Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve slaughtered a pig. My knife slipped and gouged out one of the pig’s eyes.” Auntie Xiao Dao looked a little embarrassed. “Since it’s blind, it can’t be used for the rite. You take it home and eat it slowly.”
Yun Yi looked down.
On the roasted pig’s head, an eye patch was tied diagonally over one eye.
“!” Save me. Why did I come to Xiao Family Village? Why is the universe punishing me?
The closer she got to the ancestral hall, the more strange people she encountered.
Some wore Daoist robes, some wore Hanfu or cheongsams… All crammed together in a riot of colors—a complete chaotic mashup of Hengdian film studios.
Cradling the pig’s head, Yun Yi hurried toward the village chief’s office.
From a distance, she spotted two figures standing by the fountain.
She broke into a jog. “Hello, could you use this pig’s head for your ancestral rite—”
She stopped mid-sentence, her throat seizing up.
A tall, imposing man in ancient robes had lifted another man off the ground with one hand. “Confess quickly,” he demanded in a harsh voice. “Where did you get this?”
The man had his back to her; she couldn’t see his face.
Wound around his other hand was a long hair ribbon embroidered with golden dragon patterns, like a bright yellow arrow pointing straight to the sky.
“Brother… let’s talk this over… I found it. It, it fell off some girl…”
The man lifted him higher. “Where is she?”
Yun Yi recognized the face twisted with fear—it was the folklore studies student she’d run into at the village entrance an hour ago.
Instinctively, she reached for the end of her hair—
The ribbon she had tied there was gone.
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